Content request, storage and/or configuration systems and methods for live content or events

ABSTRACT

A content request, storage, and configuration system is provided for attendees of live events or performances, which associates pieces of content with one or more keywords, and configures the content for the benefit of a user. Content owners load content into the system or link content elsewhere to the system, and optionally designate a set of actions to be taken. Keywords are assigned to the content and actions by the system based on user input and/or auto-generation by the system. Thus, while attending a live event or performance, any of a variety of methods, including but not limited to Short Message Service (SMS) and instant messaging, are used by a user to communicate these keywords to the system, to indicate user interest in the associated content.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/876,956, filed on Oct. 23, 2007, entitled “CONTENT REQUEST, STORAGEAND/OR CONFIGURATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LIVE CONTENT OR EVENTS”,the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems and methods for live content orevent management that include use of a system and/or a set of servicesthat assign one or more keywords and/or passwords to live content, e.g.,through the use of tags, to achieve any of storage, configuration,retrieval or other action by an owner with respect to the live contentand/or the user.

BACKGROUND

The explosive growth in digital content and e-commerce in the ninetiesand the present decade has been accompanied by a number of systems andcorresponding processes for storing, managing and retrieving content invarious electronic formats and in a variety of ways. Storing andmanaging all types of content, including documents, images, video, audioand the like, typically occurs inside of a content managementapplication incorporating some type of a database, and which may beoperated in a private network or on the Internet. With existing systems,retrieving the digital content from oneself or another content ownertypically requires a person either to search for a document on apersonal computer, a private network or the Internet, or to providecontact information (an Internet address, email address or instantmessage identifier) to the content owner so that the digital content canbe delivered, received and enjoyed by that person.

Likewise, commercial transactions on the Internet or over the phonetypically occur in a one-to-one setting in which a buyer must conduct atransaction on a seller's own website or by speaking to a live operator.When doing so, the buyer must enter, re-enter or store a significantamount of personal information. Moreover, when a consumer sees somethingoutside the Internet, like a seller's offline advertisement, such as abillboard, magazine or elsewhere, the consumer must almost always visitthe Internet, place a voice telephone call, or visit a seller's physicalsite. In many cases the buyer is repeatedly shopping from the sameseller and repeating many of the same time-consuming steps to conduct atransaction. Another example of this is live music being rendered duringa concert. The live music has high relevance to fans of the performingartist while the live music is being played, but afterwards, or the nextmorning, a user may forget to go to the performing artist's web site tolearn about content opportunities associated with the concert. Theseparation of the user from the live music itself causes the user tolose interest in the live content or associated content.

At the same time as the amount of content and e-commerce expandsdramatically, people are increasingly relying on mobile devices as aprimary means to communicate via voice, text, Internet enabled browsersor Internet enabled services like instant messaging. It can beappreciated that mobile devices are generally used because they areportable and convenient, and they are becoming near ubiquitous in theiradoption by people all over the world. Yet, mobile devices, such asmobile phones, are often limited in their ability to navigate, retrieveand act on content or other data due to their portability, andcorresponding limited input interface and storage capacities. With theenormous growth in both content availability and e-commerce, there isthus an emerging need on the part of content owners and commerceproviders to obtain the content or conduct a transaction in a simple,convenient, accurate and cost effective way.

Some existing services seek to connect requests for digital content ordata to the direct delivery of content or data to the mobile device forimmediate use or action, which the user may or may not be ready to take.Thus, there is an inherent disconnect in such systems between what theuser may want and the ultimate timing of the delivery of the content bythe content owner. In addition, these services lack an efficient way tocommunicate a request for specific information about which the user hasjust learned. Two main problems thus present themselves with respect tosuch existing systems. First, such systems are inefficient because theyare overloaded with unwanted or irrelevant amounts of digital content ordata. Second, such systems are dramatically limited in terms of theactions that a user may take with respect to such digital content ordata.

Additionally, today's user interfaces that are presented to users onmost mobile devices are not adequate for easy and complete free formtext entries. Most mobile devices have a twelve digit number pad whichis cumbersome to the user when the user is faced with typing in textlike web addresses, email addresses, or other contact information.Consequently, mobile users have difficulty capturing information quicklyand completely in a text form on their mobile device. In turn, passingrelevant information from the user's mobile phone along to friends orother contacts is not easy and similarly, taking other action withrespect to the information, such as buying a physical or digital productor service, is a difficult process if such other action is even possiblefor the user.

Thus, there is a need for an improved method for (a) a user to requestand obtain digital content or data in which the user knows she isinterested, e.g., where the user is present at a live performance orevent in real time, (b) to store the requested digital content or datafor immediate or later access by the user, and (c) to allow the user totake immediate or later action against the digital content or data.Likewise, owners of the digital content or data are currently in need ofimproved ways to track requests for, and use of, such digital content ordata. Further, owners of digital content or data are in need of ways toenable new methods for having targeted users take action against suchdigital content or data in ways that make more sense for users. Theseand other disadvantages of existing content management systems have thusled to an overall need for a new architecture for managing content thatbetter aligns the interests of content owners with the interests ofcontent consumers, and vice versa.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems and methods for requesting,receiving and/or managing digital content or data in the context of liveperformances or events, and for taking certain types of action inconnection with or with respect to the digital content or data. Invarious non-limiting embodiments described herein, the system matchessets of digital content or data to unique keywords associated with alive performance or event. The user of a portable device can use theportable device's existing communication capabilities to send one ormore of the keywords to the system's request server. The keywords arethen referenced in a database to identify the digital content or dataassociated with the keywords. The system retrieves the associateddigital content or data from a database and stores it for immediate orlater viewing or for use in performing some other action designated bythe user. Based on the keywords and the identity of the user, the systemmay also configure the digital content or data in a particular way forthat user to provide a custom content experience, or enable one or moreparticular actions to be taken with respect to the digital content ordata. Exemplary non-limiting actions for the content that may be enabledfor a user include, for instance, sharing content related to a concertbeing attended by the user with friend(s) or group(s) of friends,enabling purchase of item(s) via a convenient network communicationprotocol, such as Short Message Service (SMS) messaging, or the like.

Other features of the invention are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The content request, storage and configuration systems for liveperformances or events in accordance with the invention are furtherdescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system level block diagram of the contentmanagement system of the present invention;

FIG. 2A illustrates a system level block diagram showing storagerelationships of the system from keywords to content or content links tocontent owners in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2B illustrates exemplary aspects of keyword utilization and storagein accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary aspects of keywordutilization and storage in the context of a live performance;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary non-limiting flow diagram ofkeyword/content association methods of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate exemplary non-limiting flow diagrams showinguser interactions with content according to retrieval and configurationaspects of the invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate exemplary non-limiting flow diagrams showingcontent retrieval via keyword processes enabled by the contentmanagement systems or services of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary non-limiting flow diagram showingpurchasing processes enabled by the content management systems orservices of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary non-limiting flow diagram showing groupsharing processes enabled by the content management systems or servicesof the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an overview of a network environment suitable forservice by embodiments of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS Overview

In consideration of the shortcomings of existing systems described abovein the background, a content request, storage and configuration systemfor live events or performances is provided in accordance with theinvention which, in the context of a live performance or event, loadsand stores different types of content, associates each piece of contentwith one or more keywords and configures the content in particular waysfor the benefit of a user. Content owners load content into the systemor reference (e.g., link to) content from elsewhere, and keywords areassigned to the content by the system based on user input and/orauto-generation acts taken by the system. With a live performance orevent, for instance, by using one or more pre-designated keywordsassociated with the live performance or event, a digital recording ofthe live performance or event can be made available to the user forenjoyment after the live performance or event is complete. Alternativeactions might include making alternate performances or recordings of anartist or performer available for sale or review later.

In various exemplary non-limiting embodiments, a tag representing thekeywords is associated with the content and stored in the system. ShortMessage Service (SMS), email, instant messaging, a designated entrypoint on a personal computer or mobile web browser, or other methods maybe used by a user to communicate the one or more pre-assigned keywordsin order to indicate user interest in a particular content item oritems. Receipt by the system of the keywords from the user initiatesidentification and retrieval of relevant piece(s) of content by thesystem, and association of the content with the user making the request.Then, if desired by the user or if otherwise appropriate, the systemoperates to configure a user's account to take specific actions withrespect to the content.

The user may also assign his or her own keywords to aid in the use ofthe system, and establish pre-defined additional actions that the systemmay take based on receipt of the keyword by the user. In onenon-limiting embodiment, a user can send a request to purchase aparticular content item or items, e.g., digital recordings of an artistor performer, with the use of keywords, the system having beenpre-configured to execute a purchase transaction upon receipt of suchkeywords. In another non-limiting embodiment, a user can configure thesystem so that the send, or transmission, of the keyword triggers thedeposit of the associated content in the account of another user oraccounts of a group of users, or otherwise authorizes the other user(s)to interact with the content in a specified way. For instance, a friendat a live concert might want to send a digital recording of the songheard live to a friend or group of friends so that they might takefurther action with respect to the content, or related content. In thisway, the experience of a person at a live performance or event can bespread automatically to other users who are not present at the liveperformance or event.

Storing, Retrieving and Configuring Digital Content in Context of LiveEvents

Various embodiments in which the invention may be used are describedbelow, but as can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in thesoftware and networking arts, other embodiments may be utilized andstructural and functional modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope of the content management storage, retrieval andconfiguration techniques of the present invention.

In the context of a live performance or event, such as, but not limitedto a music concert, the present invention includes a method forrequesting digital content or data via the use of keywords and a systemcapable of retrieving, storing and configuring digital content or databased on the keywords or identity of the user. As used herein, the term“digital content or data” related to a live performance or eventincludes any one or more text, audio, video, image and data filesincluding, but not limited to, database information, information workerfiles, such as spreadsheet files, word processing documents,advertisements, markup language documents, such as XML, or anycombination of such digital content or data.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. Other organizations will be known to thoseskilled in the art and also within the scope. There is no limit on thetype of digital content or data that the invention can handle though thetechniques may be tailored to types of files with respect to user actionagainst the content. One can appreciate that digital content is createdin and can be converted to many different formats and may be in varyingsizes, and users will have a variety of different uses for particulardigital content or data.

In FIG. 1, user devices 11, such as computers, mobile phones and/orother computer devices, comprise a first operational layer of theinvention. For the avoidance of doubt, portable or mobile devices inaccordance with the invention include a variety of computing devicesincluding (a) portable media players, e.g., portable music players, suchas MP3 players, walkmans, etc., (b) portable computing devices, such aslaptops, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), cell phones, portableemail devices, thin clients, portable gaming devices, etc., (c) consumerelectronic devices, such as TVs, DVD players, set top boxes, monitors,displays, etc., (d) public computing devices, such as kiosks, in-storemusic sampling devices, automated teller machines (ATMs), cashregisters, etc., (e) navigation devices whether portable or installedin-vehicle and/or (f) non-conventional computing devices, such askitchen appliances, motor vehicle controls (e.g., steering wheels), etc.Finally, while some embodiments are directed to systems and method foruse in portable devices, as one of ordinary skill in the art canappreciate, the techniques of the invention are by no means limited topractice on portable devices, but may also apply to standalone computingdevices, such as personal computers (“PCs”), server computers, gamingplatforms (e.g., Xbox), mainframes, etc.

User devices 11 are communicatively coupled via networks 12 to a set ofnetworked services 13 (which may be a centralized server, ordistributed) which provide content storage, retrieval and configurationservices in accordance with the invention. The server or services 13include a keyword/command phrase parser 16 for receiving content andkeywords from content owners and users for storage or retrieval ofcontent in or from a keyword/content database 14, respectively, by thecontent management system of the invention. The server or services 13also include a display/notification interface 17 for rendering ornotifying designated recipients of content retrieved in accordance withthe content management techniques of the invention. User account data isalso stored in storage 15, which includes configuration data and otheruser information as part of the user's account with the contentmanagement system of the invention. The storage techniques of theinvention may also invariably be implemented across a plurality ofstorage components, such as databases or other storage, which may beco-located, or distributed, and of the same type of storage, ordisparate types.

In operation, as described in more detail below, user devices operate tosend keywords and command phrases to keyword/command phrase parser 16for the retrieval of content for designated action based on the commandphrases. The keywords are checked against the keyword/content database14 in order to retrieve at least one set of content based on thecommands of the command phrase(s) received by parser 16. Then, prior totaking action on the content, user account data in storage 15 may befurther consulted to determine if there are any additional parameters(e.g., other filters on the content) that should be applied to theretrieved content based on configuration information stored for the userin accordance with the invention. Next, interface 17 takes anydesignated actions as specified by the commands of the command phrase(s)with respect to the resulting set(s) of content matching the userkeywords and user configuration data. For instance, interface 17 mayprepare the resulting set(s) of content for display on a particular userdevice known to have a certain type of display, or known to handlecertain formats of content, i.e., the resulting content is readied forrendering on the device. Or, for another example, interface 17 may sendnotifications to a group of friends about the content and about certainactions (e.g., purchase) that may optionally be taken with respect tothe content. Finally, the content and/or notifications are delivered tothe appropriate recipient (e.g., the user in the case of a request fordisplay of content, or the group of friends in the case of thenotification example).

A number of tables included in the database are depicted in FIG. 2A.These tables are used to identify owners of digital content or data, toassociate keywords with certain types of digital content or data and toassign certain available actions that might be available to take againstthe digital content or data. Tables are also used to manage theassignment of keywords to digital content or data to ensure that eachset of digital content or data is assigned a unique keyword or keywords.Keywords 21 can be assigned to one or more items of content 22 and oneor multiple content links 23. A content owner 24 can own multiplecontent 22 and multiple content links 23.

On the user side in FIG. 2B, tables are used to identify a user 201 withthe keyword requests 203, to store preferences 202 with respect tocertain types of actions that may be taken against the digital contentor data, and to record historical actions 204 actually taken by the userwith respect to the digital content or data. From the user'sperspective, their keyword requests 203 can be either of a keyword theyown 205 or a keyword they do not own 206. The sum of 205 and/or 206results in a Keyword table 21.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary aspects of keywordutilization and storage in the context of a live performance or event310. A live performance or event 310 can be any performance or eventthat a user 300 can attend, without limitation, and thus any referenceto a live musical performance as an example herein should not beconsidered limiting in terms of the types of different real-time contentthat a user 300 can be experiencing in accordance with the invention. Inoperation, keywords 305 empower the user 300 to perform a variety ofactions 325 based on the context of the performance or event 310.Keywords 305 are pre-associated with various content and/or linksrelated to the event 310, which various content and/or links areaccessible via store(s) 320. The keywords 305 for the performance orevent 310 can be either published beforehand, or published at the event310. In one non-limiting embodiment, location technology of a userdevice 300, such as global positioning system (GPS) technology,optionally helps to determine or verify that user 300 is in factattending the live performance or event 310.

A user 300 thus specifies one or more keyword(s) 305 at live performanceor event 310, which are received by the system, which operates to mapkeyword(s) 305 to various content and/or links to content included inone or more data stores 320 related to the live performance or event310. Advantageously, the infrastructure also optionally allows user 300to perform one or more actions 325 contextually relevant to performanceor event 310. For instance, at 330_1, a user 300 might wish to buy adigital recording of the live event 310. Another action 325 might be tosend a sample song by the relevant artist to friends 330_2. As shown by330 _(—) n, another action might be to upload content along withkeywords 305 to the system (e.g., a great action photo of the performingartist). Thus, a variety of actions 330_1, 330_2, . . . , 330_N can betaken by the system.

The owner of digital content or data can use the system to uploaddigital content or data, shown in FIG. 4. The user, starting at 401,then logs into the system at 402 and chooses a keyword that is currentlyavailable at 403. The user then assigns content to the keyword at 404and determines if there is additional content to be associated with thekeyword at 405. In one embodiment, the assignment of additional contentthat takes place at act 404 continues until the user is finished. Theuser then publishes the keyword at 406 to make it available for use. Thekeyword is then promoted to other users at 407, thereby ending thecreation cycle of a keyword at 408. In addition, the owner of digitalcontent or data may enable an integration point with the system thatallows the system to retrieve the digital content or data from the owneron demand at the time it is required, and/or to take additional actionson demand. For instance, the system might signal a Web server under thecontrol of the content owner to execute a script that the owner hasdesignated, which script can execute any of a number of actions, forexample real time queries, control over robotic systems, or registeringa tally to be compared to the tallies recorded in response to otherkeywords. The owner may request the assignment of a keyword or keywords,or they will be assigned automatically, to the digital content or data.The database 14 depicted in FIG. 1 stores reference to the digitalcontent, or interfaces to the digital or data, alongside tagsrepresenting the associated keyword or keywords. Digital content or datacan be grouped together and may include different types of content orvariations of the same content. Groups of digital content or data mayshare the same keyword or keywords.

By establishing a method and system for owners of digital content anddata to connect the digital content or data to keywords, a much improvedmeans of locating digital content and data is realized. There are manycircumstances in which it may be beneficial for a person to obtaindigital content without searching for the content, disclosing one'sidentity to a third or being compelled to provide a unique place ofdelivery and receipt such as a physical mailing address, email or faxnumber. The ability for a user to request digital content with keywordsmeets the needs and interests of users because they can enable access tothe content they want when they want it in a simple and convenient way,typically via a mobile device. It also helps meet the needs of contentowners, commerce providers and other organizations looking to distributedigital content or data, or have actions taken against such digitalcontent or data, because they know the persons requesting access aregenuinely interested.

A typical user experience with the invention, shown in FIG. 5A, startswith the mobile terminal at 501, although any computer may encompass theinitiating source for delivery of the keywords by the user. A user willknow to or be instructed to send specific keywords as a message to theserver at 502. Once the user enters a command phrase, including akeyword, on their device at 503, the corresponding content and links aredeposited into the user's account at 504. If there are predefinedactions to push the content to the user at 505 then that content ispushed to the user's device at 506. The user decides what action to takewith the content and links deposited in their account at 507 by eitherrepeating the keyword and command phrase step returning to 503, takingno action thus ending the steps at 509, or following a content linkgiven to them which will take them outside the system at 508.

FIG. 5B illustrates exemplary, non-limiting operation of the inventionin the context of a live event or performance, starting with a userbeing present at a performance or event at 511. The user either knows oris instructed to send specific keywords as a message to the server at512 relating to the performance or event. Optionally, location dataabout the user can trigger a service of the invention to inform usersabout relevant keywords. Once the user enters a command phrase,including a keyword, on their device at 513, the corresponding contentand links are deposited into the user's account at 514. If there arepredefined actions to push the content to the user at 515 then thatcontent is pushed to the user's device at 516. The user decides whataction to take with the content and links deposited in their account at517 by either repeating the keyword and command phrase step returning to513, taking no action thus ending the steps at 519, or following acontent link given to them which will take them outside the system at518.

In a preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment, the system is supported byan SMS mobile messaging platform that integrates with the multipleplatforms of the cellular companies (or, for those cellular companieswith an alternate preferred means of text messaging, to their equivalentof SMS), as well as a content management system. In this case, therequest server receives an SMS (or equivalent) containing the keywordfrom a user and looks up the digital content or data that the user isrequesting in the database. In another embodiment of the invention, therequest server is reached through the use of an instant messaging (IM)system wherein the request server as a machine is reached as part of theIM's buddy list. In such an embodiment, the request server would appearas a buddy on the user's IM interface, which means that the user couldinitiate a text message conversation with the request server using theIM's existing capabilities. The user would send the keywords as a textmessage. In yet another embodiment, the user could use an entry field ona web based application that is directly connected to the system. In allcases, the system would realize the identity of the user, whichinformation would be available to the system based on the method ofcommunication selected.

FIG. 6A shows the system flow of the keyword/content processing. Thesystem begins at 601 and then receives a command phrase at 602. Thiscommand phrase is parsed into keywords, actions, and content at 603 bythe system. The system then executes the appropriate request at 604 andcontent and/or link(s) are deposited into the appropriate user accountsat 605. If there are defined actions to push content to users at 606,then the content is pushed to the user(s)' device at 607; if not, thesystem process ends at 608.

FIG. 6B shows the system flow of keyword/content processing in thecontext of a live performance or event. The system begins at 611 andthen receives a command phrase at 612 in connection with some livecontent (any video, images, audio, etc., e.g., music, dance, videos,theatre, etc.). This command phrase is parsed into keywords, actions,and content/links at 613 by the system. The system then executes theappropriate request at 614 and content and/or link(s) are deposited intothe appropriate user accounts at 615. If there are defined actions topush content to users at 616, then the content is pushed to the user(s)'device at 617; if not, the system process ends at 618.

Once the digital content or data is identified by its keywords, it canbe presented to the user on a web-based application enabled by thesystem, which may be accessible via generally available web browsers oneither personal computers or mobile devices. The manner in which digitalcontent or data is displayed to the user is controlled by preferences ofthe owner of the digital content or data, the type of digital content ordata, and the capabilities of the system. For example, a hyperlink to aurl may appears as a hyperlink with brief summary information associatedwith the hyperlink appearing underneath. An audio file may appear onlyas a title of the audio file. A video may appear as a single digitalimage of one of the frames of the video with no title or description.

Depending on the type of digital content or data stored or integratedwith system, certain actions may be available to take with respect tothe content. For example, a user who is presented with the content bythe system may be able to forward the content received directly to anemail account or some other system. Sometimes a user may want to havethe requested digital content or data delivered directly back to amobile terminal. Other times, the user may want to have the digitalcontent or data viewable in a web browser, or the original softwareapplication in which the digital content or data was meant to be viewed.

A user may also predefine a preference as to what to do with the digitalcontent or data so that the system will take action with the digitalcontent or data immediately. For example, if a user were requestingaudio files from the same digital content owner repeatedly, and eachtime the user used the capabilities of the system to export the file toanother system, the user may instead configure the system toautomatically forward the audio file to another system or softwareapplication.

Digital content or data may also be configured by the system for otheractions by the user. For example, the seller of shoes may enable a userto use the keyword “shoes” to deposit a hyperlink to the seller'swebsite in the user's account for the user to obtain additionalinformation on the particular shoes. In addition to the additionalinformation, however, the system may also enable the user to buy theshoes without leaving the web based application, the system havingconfigured the digital content or data to enable the ability to conductan e-commerce transaction.

The system also supports actions that can be specified at the time ofsubmitting the keyword, to have the system process those actionsdirectly. One category of action is the purchase of an item representedby a keyword. For instance, someone at a rock concert might want toinstantly buy a T-shirt relating to the particular performance night andvenue. FIG. 7 shows the action flow of such a scenario. Prior to makinga purchase, the user has entered their personal payment information andpreferences into the system, decided to make a purchase, and knows thekeyword and command phrase for the item of interest at 701, howeverlearned for the live performance.

When the user wants to purchase an item directly using the system, theuser will enter the keyword and the buy command as one command phraseinto the system at 702, e.g., “buy t-shirt,” the system parses thepurchase request at 703 and determines if an acknowledgement is requiredin order to make the purchase at 704. If so, then the system respondswith a confirmation request at 705, and when the user acknowledges theconfirmation at 706, the system acts as a purchasing agent by executingthe purchase transaction at 707, charging the user's payment method at708, passing the purchase and payment information securely along to thevendor at 709, returning whatever acknowledgement or receipt isnecessary to the user at 710, thus completing the process at 711. If noacknowledgement is required at 704, then the system jumps to execute thetransaction at 707.

Another novel use of the system is in the quick and easy disseminationof content represented by keywords to another recipient or multipleother recipients. FIG. 8 shows this scenario. In one embodiment, theuser can append the keyword with a short command followed by anotherperson's phone number, or a name linked to a pre-established phonenumber, as a single command, and the system will create an account forthe other person, notify the person of the account's existence andassociate the content related to the keyword with the other person'saccount. Prior to sending a multiple-recipient message, the user hasdefined a group name, associated a list of members and their contactinformation with the group name, and learned the keyword for whatevercontent they wish to share at 801. For instance, while attending a rockconcert, a user might like to share a free promotional song from orinformation about the band with his or her friends automatically bysending a command keyword phrase “share bandname song.”

When a user wants to pass information to multiple recipients, the userwill enter the keyword and the group name in one command phrase into thesystem at 802. The system then parses the command phrase at 803 andretrieves the content associated with the keyword at 804 andautomatically deposits the content response into the accounts or devicesof all the members of the group at 805. If there are defined actions topush content to the users at 806, then the content is pushed to thedevice of each member of the group at 807; if not, then the process endsat 808.

By enabling a system that allows different groups to tag and managedigital content or data in a way that make it easier for other people toaccess, particularly in a mobile oriented world, the invention can savetime, provide an improved means for privacy and reduce costs for theparties involved. The establishment of a central system (‘central’ fromthe standpoint of the users and content owners, though the services maybe distributed and need not be a central set of servers) to manage andconfigure the requested digital content or data allows the user to relyon a single destination to manage multiple requests of multiple types ofcontent from multiple content owners.

Exemplary Non-Limiting Network and Operating Environments

The following description sets forth some exemplary networks andnon-limiting operating environments for the systems and methods forcontent management of the present invention. The below-describedoperating environments should be considered non-exhaustive, however, andthus the below-described network architectures merely show how theservices of the present invention may be incorporated into someexemplary existing network structures and architectures. One canappreciate, however, that the invention may be incorporated into nowexisting or future alternative architectures for communication networksas well, and to systems that encompass or integrate a plurality ofdisparate communication networks.

The global system for mobile communication (“GSM”) is one of the mostwidely utilized wireless access systems in today's fast growingcommunication systems. GSM provides circuit-switched data services tosubscribers, such as mobile telephone or computer users. General PacketRadio Service (“GPRS”), which is an extension to GSM technology,introduces packet switching to GSM networks. GPRS uses a packet-basedwireless communication technology to transfer high and low speed dataand signaling in an efficient manner. GPRS optimizes the use of networkand radio resources, thus enabling the cost effective and efficient useof GSM network resources for packet mode applications.

As one of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate, the exemplaryGSM/GPRS environment and services described herein can also be extendedto 3G services, such as Universal Mobile Telephone System (“UMTS”),Frequency Division Duplexing (“FDD”) and Time Division Duplexing(“TDD”), High Speed Packet Data Access (“HSPDA”), cdma2000 1× EvolutionData Optimized (“EVDO”), Code Division Multiple Access-2000 (“cdma20003×”), Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access(“TD-SCDMA”), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (“WCDMA”), EnhancedData GSM Environment (“EDGE”), International MobileTelecommunications-2000 (“IMT-2000”), Digital Enhanced CordlessTelecommunications (“DECT”), etc., as well as to other network servicesthat shall become available in time. In this regard, the techniques ofthe invention may be applied independently of the method of datatransport, and do not depend on any particular network architecture, orunderlying protocols.

FIG. 9 depicts an overall block diagram of an exemplary packet-basedmobile cellular network environment, such as a GPRS network, in whichthe invention may be practiced. In such an environment, there are aplurality of Base Station Subsystems (“BSS”) 200 (only one is shown),each of which comprises a Base Station Controller (“BSC”) 202 serving aplurality of Base Transceiver Stations (“BTS”) such as BTSs 204, 206,and 208. BTSs 204, 206, 208, etc. are the access points where users ofpacket-based mobile devices become connected to the wireless network. Inexemplary fashion, the packet traffic originating from user devices istransported over the air interface to a BTS 208, and from the BTS 208 tothe BSC 202. Base station subsystems, such as BSS 200, are a part ofinternal frame relay network 210 that may include Service GPRS SupportNodes (“SGSN”) such as SGSN 212 and 214. Each SGSN is in turn connectedto an internal packet network 220 through which a SGSN 212, 214, etc.can route data packets to and from a plurality of gateway GPRS supportnodes (GGSN) 222, 224, 226, etc. As illustrated, SGSN 214 and GGSNs 222,224, and 226 are part of internal packet network 220. Gateway GPRSserving nodes 222, 224 and 226 mainly provide an interface to externalInternet Protocol (“IP”) networks such as Public Land Mobile Network(“PLMN”) 250, corporate intranets 240, or Fixed-End System (“FES”) orthe public Internet 230. As illustrated, subscriber corporate network240 may be connected to GGSN 224 via firewall 232; and PLMN 250 isconnected to GGSN 224 via boarder gateway router 234. The RemoteAuthentication Dial-In User Service (“RADIUS”) server 242 may be usedfor caller authentication when a user of a mobile cellular device callscorporate network 240.

Generally, there can be four different cell sizes in a GSMnetwork—macro, micro, pico and umbrella cells. The coverage area of eachcell is different in different environments. Macro cells can be regardedas cells where the base station antenna is installed in a mast or abuilding above average roof top level. Micro cells are cells whoseantenna height is under average roof top level; they are typically usedin urban areas. Pico cells are small cells having a diameter is a fewdozen meters; they are mainly used indoors. On the other hand, umbrellacells are used to cover shadowed regions of smaller cells and fill ingaps in coverage between those cells.

While the present invention has been described in connection with theembodiments shown in the various Figures, it is to be understood thatother similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions maybe made to the described embodiment for performing the same function ofthe present invention without deviating therefrom. Thus, othervariations and modifications to may be made without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. For example, one skilled in the artwill recognize that the present invention as described in the presentapplication may apply to any environment, whether wired and/or wireless,and may be applied to any number of such devices connected to the systemvia at least one communications network and/or interacting across thenetwork. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to anysingle embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scopein accordance with the appended claims.

1. A method comprising: associating at least one pre-designated keywordwith event content related to a live performance or event; recording thelive performance or event in a digital recording; and in response toreceiving a request based on the at least one pre-designated keyword,sending at least one of the digital recording or an other recordingassociated with the event content based on, at least in part, the atleast one pre-designated keyword.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: associating one or more tags representing the at least onepre-designated keyword with the event content; and storing the one ormore tags in a storage medium, wherein the sending of the at least oneof the digital recording or the other recording associated with theevent is based on, at least in part, the one or more tags.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving the at least onepre-designated keyword in the request; and retrieving the at least oneof the digital recording or the other recording from one or moredatabases based on the request.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thereceiving of the request based on the at least one pre-designatedkeyword comprises receiving a short message service (SMS) message, anemail, or an instant messaging (IM) message, wherein the SMS message,the email message, and the IM message include the pre-designatedkeyword.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivingconfiguration information; defining one or more pre-configured actionsbased on the configuration information; and executing the pre-configuredactions based on the request.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving configuration information; and defining the one ormore pre-configured actions based on the configuration information,wherein the one or more pre-configured actions include at least one of:executing a purchase transaction; depositing content associated with theevent content in at least one of an account of a user or another accountassociated with a group of users; authorizing one or more other users toaccess the content; or sending the content to at least one of the one ormore other users or the group of users.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: presenting the at least one pre-designated keywordto at least one of a user or a group of users at least one of before orduring the live performance or event.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving the recording of the live performance or eventfrom a mobile device.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:sending the recording of the live performance to at least one of a useror a group of users based on, at least in part, the request.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising: receiving a request from themobile device to associate at least one keyword with the recording ofthe live performance or event, wherein the sending is based on, at leastin part, the at least one keyword.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: presenting the at least one pre-designated keyword to atleast one of a user or a group of users in response to the recording ofthe live performance or event in the digital recording.
 12. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving the recording of the liveperformance or event during the live performance or event.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: sending the recording of thelive performance or event to at least one of a user or a group of usersbased on, at least in part, the request.
 14. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining whether one or more mobile devices arewithin a pre-defined proximity of the live performance or event, whereinthe sending includes sending the at least one of the digital recordingor the other recording associated with the event content to the one ormore mobile devices based on, at least in part, the determining.
 15. Amethod comprising: determining whether a mobile device is within apre-defined proximity of a live performance or event; receiving acommand phrase from the mobile device when the mobile device is withinthe pre-defined proximity, wherein the command phrase is associated withcontent related to the live performance or event; and at least one ofsharing the content with or transferring the content to one or moredevices based on, at least in part, the command phrase.
 16. The methodof claim 15, further comprising: parsing the command phrase into atleast one of an action, a keyword, or other content, wherein the atleast one of the sharing of the content with or the transferring of thecontent to the one or more devices is based on, at least in part, the atleast one of the action, the keyword, or the other content.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: displaying via the mobile deviceat least one pre-designated keyword associated with the live performanceor event, wherein the command phrase is based on, at least in part, thepre-designated keyword.
 18. A system comprising: a service componentconfigured to: associate at least one keyword with content related to alive performance or event; and publish the at least one keyword for useby one or more users attending the live performance or event; and adatabase component configured to: receive a recording of content of thelive performance or event; and provide the recording to the at least oneuser based on the at least one keyword.
 19. The system of claim 18,wherein the service component is configured to: determine a location ofat least one user of the one or more users; and publish the at least onekeyword based on the location.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein thedatabase component is configured to: receive the recording of thecontent of the live performance or event from a user of the one or moreusers.